Railway-switch.



No. 720,067. PATENTED FEB. 10,1903.

W. QUINTAL.

- RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLIOA'IION FILED OUT, 21, 1902.

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PATENTED FEB. 10, 1903.

W. QUINTAL. RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED 001*. 21, 1902 2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

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UNiTnn' STATES P TENT @FFICE.

WVILFRED QUINTAL, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,067, dated February 10, 1903.

Application filed October 21, 1902. Serial No. 128,172. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILFRED QUINTAL, a resident of IIolyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in railroad-switches, and more particularly to operating mechanism therefor, the object of the invention being to provide improved devices of this character in which the switch can be thrown by a device upon a locomotive or car and to provide an improved safety device operating reversely to the main operating means whereby the main track can be opened by a fast-moving train some time before the train reaches the switch.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construetion and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims,

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a side View. Figs. 3 and 4 are views illustrating the operating mechanism on the car. Figs. 5 and 6 are views in section of the switch-throwing means, and Fig. 7 is a view of the main operating trip or dog.

1 represents the rails of the main track, supported on the ordinary ties 2, and 3 are the rails of the siding, and 4 represents the switch. Beside the track, at the switch and preferably supported upon the ties, is my improved switch-throwing mechanism, which is supported upon a plate 5 and inclosed in a cap or covering-plate 6, and comprises a sliding block 7, having an inclined or diagonal slot 8 therein, in which is supported a pin 9 on a bar 10, connected with the switch-rails 4. The sliding block 7 moves between bars 11, held against it by coiled springs 12, which by spring-pressure hold the switch-railsin the position to which they are moved, but permit their opening to allow a train to pass, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

Beside the main track and located a short distance from the switch is the main operating trip or dog 13, which comprises a bowed or curved lever pivoted between its ends upon a pin 14, connecting the upper ends of triangular standards 15. Pulleys 16 and 17, respectively, are supported to rotate between the standards, and a rope, chain, cable, or other connecting device 18 is secured to one end of block 7, passed around pulley 17, and secured to the far end of trip or dog 13, and another connecting device 19 is secured to the opposite end of block 7, is passed around a pulley 20 on the casing thereof, thence around pulley 16, and secured to the opposite end of trip or dog 13.

A safety dog or trip 21 constructed precisely like trip or dog 13 is provided beside the track any desired distance in advance of dog 13, and cables, ropes, chains, or other connecting devices 22 and 23, respectively, connect the opposite ends of these dogs or trips 1.3 and 21, compelling them to operate reversely-in other words, compelling one dog or trip when operated to move the other to a reverse or opposite position. Hence when the far end of one dog is elevated the far end of the other is depressed, and suitable signals (not shown) may be operated by and connected with the dogs or trips to notify the train crew of the position of the switch. These dogs or trips may be moved by a great many devices mounted upon the cars or locomotives, and while I have shown in Figs. 3 and 4 one form of device which answers the purpose I do not confine myself to this particular construction. In this form of device a beveled slide 23 is supported in a suitable guide 24 on the car or locomotive and is groovedin its end to receive an operating-wedge 25, normally held in one position by a spring 26. This wedge is made with diverging slots 27 to receive pins 28 and 29 on'theslide 23 and guide 24, respectively, so that when the wedge is moved in one direction by any suitable mechanism it'will force slide 23 outward into the path of the dogs or trips, and in order to reduce friction I preferably support at the outer end of this slide a roller 30, mounted in a bracket 31. \Vhen the wedge is released, its spring 26 returns the parts to their former position, drawing in the roller 30 out of the path of the dogs or trips and holding it in such position until it is again desired to move the switch.

ICO

The operation of my improvements is as follows: As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the main track is open and a car is approaching the switch to pass upon the siding. The slide 23 on the car is shown projected outward with its roller 30 in the path of dog or trip 13, which it strikes and turns on its pivot, thus pulling connecting device 18 to draw block 7 toward the dog and by means of pin 9 in slot 8 moves the bar IOlongitudinally, thus moving switchrails 4 to open the switch and permit the car to pass onto the siding. This movement of dog 13 through the medium of connecting device 23 moves safety dog or trip 21 to the position formerly assumed by trip 13, so that should a through train follow the car it can operate dog 21 to open the main track and reset dog or trip 13, as is readily understood. It the trip 13 has not been reset and the car on the siding is brought back on the main track, its slide 23 and roller 30 can be oper ated to return the dog to its former position and open the main track. If a train approaches the switch on the main track or siding from the opposite direction and the track is closed, the wheel flanges will move the switch-rails, allowing the train to pass, the springs 12 permitting this movement of the switch rails and returning them to their former position.

A great many changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from my in vention, and hence I do not confine myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the movable rails of a switch, a connecting rod or bar and a sliding block having an inclined slot, and a pin on the connecting-rod which engages said slot, of parallel guide-bars which engage the opposite sides of the sliding block throughout its range of movement, and springs acting against the rear sides of said parallel bars and serving to retain them in parallelism and in frictional engagement with the sides of the sliding block, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with switch-rails, a connecting rod or bar, a sliding block having an inclined slot and a pin connecting one end of the connecting rod or bar with the inclined slot, of a casing provided with a series of seats for springs, two parallel guide bars which engage the opposite sides of the sliding block, and two or more springs interposed between the seats in the casing and each one of the parallel guide-bars, and means for moving the sliding block, substantially as set forth.

3. In a switch-operating device, the combination with the switch-frogs and a bar connected therewith, of a casing, a sliding block therein having an inclined or diagonal slot, a pin on the bar located in the slot, movable guide-bars on opposite sides of the block, springs between said bars and the casing, and means for moving the block.

4. In a*switch-operating device, the combination with the switch-rails, connecting-bar, a sliding block having an inclined slot,a pin connecting one end of the connecting-bar with said inclined slot, and a pulley on one end of the casing in which the sliding bar is mounted, of a dog or trip pivoted between its ends and adapted to be tilted by a device on the car or locomotive, a flexible connection socured to one end of the sliding block and passing over the pulley on the casing and se-.

cured to one end of the dog or trip, and means for connecting the other end of the sliding block with the other end of the dog or trip, substantially as set forth.

5. In a switch-operating device, the combination with a switch, a dog or trip and means substantially as described for opening the switch, of a car or locomotive, a slide thereon, a wedge to move the slide in one direction, a spring to move the wedge and slide in the opposite direction, and a roller on the slide to engage the dog or trip.

6. The combinationwith a switch, and a dog or trip to operate the same, of a car or locomotive, a slide thereon, a wedge to move the slide and a roller on the slide to engage the dog or trip.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VVILFRED QUINTAL.

Witnesses:

S. W. FOSTER, GEO. F. DOWNING. 

